RescueChapter 1

"She's back! Aksana is back!" I said to myself, almost too loudly. It was a good thing that I was standing by myself in a corner of the Library lobby.

The she that was the cause of my outburst was a young librarian that I had ... Well, let's face it; I had a crush on her. The woman in question was of mid stature with an athletic, almost boyish figure. Her angular face was accented with her dark hair in a sort of 'Prince Valliant' kind of cut, and dark rectangular framed eyeglasses.

You would say that this woman sounds rather severe in appearance, and you would be correct ... until she smiled! Her rather wide mouth lights up the room with ten thousand watts of sheer brilliance when she smiles and everyone in the room must smile with her just from her 'joie de vivre'.

This particular day, though, that smile was at best, mechanical. The light and life were gone!

Let me backtrack a bit here, to explain. I am a disabled man of sixty-five years that is carrying some extra baggage around the middle ... well ... the extra is all over, really. To make matters worse, I'm now bald. Okay, okay, I'm fat and bald!

Now there is good and bad with an appearance such as mine. The bad is that I'm not attractive. The good is that I'm non-threatening in appearance.

Because of that last fact I have from time to time been able to talk with the lady about whom I am speaking.

I know I am being an old fool, in having such a crush on this woman; but the heart wants what it wants, and that is the end of it. Oh I had no illusions that I would be able to obtain such a woman, but it was nice to dream and bask in the out spilling of joy that came from her ... that is, until that fateful day.

There is one other thing that I should mention, here. You see ... I'm blessed with some ... ah ... talents, for the lack of a better word. I'm a telekinetic and also have some telepathic ability. No, I can't just read your mind ... but I am able to get bits and pieces of thought, and I am also able to implant thoughts and feelings into the minds of others.

I came upon these gifts rather late in life, in a time when my value system is far more benevolent than the ones we all read about in the novels of today. No, I rarely use my abilities, and then only for the good of others.

I hate bullies and abusers, so that makes them my targets whenever I run into them.

That day I found my young woman back working at the Library, I was quite swept away by the waves of despair and fear emanating from her. THERE WAS NO JOY LEFT IN HER, NONE AT ALL!

Fearfully I opened my mind to what she was broadcasting. What I received shocked and angered me. In fact I was enraged and in that rage I very nearly roared out my displeasure right there in the middle of the Library for all to see and hear! A totally inappropriate behavior!

Pictures of brutal beatings, depravity and hopelessness, commingled with the images of a young child poured forth from the woman. It was obvious to me that this sweet joyful woman had been enslaved by threats against her child!

I was greatly distressed!

I decided to lure this poor creature to one of the catalog computers in an isolated part of the stacks so that I might glean more information and to also implant healing thoughts.

As we walked back to the computer that I was using, I kept sending her comforting thoughts. By the time that we arrived at my station there was the hint of the old smile, but just barely a hint.

"There is something about you that makes me feel better, safer, somehow," she said.

"Oh? Really?"

"Yes. Things haven't been good for me of late, but for some reason I don't feel as bad here with you. It's strange, but it's nice for a change."

"I'm very sorry to hear of your troubles. Is there anything that I can do to help?" I asked as I pushed stronger feelings of comfort and trust upon her.

"There's nothing anyone can do for me now! He has my baby," she said in a chocked voice with tears beginning to spill from her eyes. Soon her despair was fully evident, as she cryed silently with great shudders and gasps.

I continued to fill her with comfort and trust. I also implanted the impulse to tell me her story.

Slowly she gathered herself together and asked, "Would you mind letting me tell you what has happened to me? If I don't tell someone, I will go crazy."

"Of course not! Go right ahead."

"You're so nice. I always liked it when you came to the desk. You always had a kind word or a little story while you checked out your materials."

"Thank you. I enjoyed those times, too."

That earned me another little bit of a smile. Then the smile was gone as she began her story.

"Six months ago I was invited to a party. There I met a man. He was a very striking and charismatic person. I thought he was a businessman, and he is, but his business is the training and selling of sex slaves.

"That night I was drugged and kidnapped. When I woke up I was naked and chained in a sort of modern day dungeon. It was horrible, but that was not the worst. Across the room was a large screen TV showing my baby boy in a cage like some animal! I screamed and screamed as I fought to free myself from my bounds. In the end I was bloody, exhausted and had no voice left.

"As I hung on the chains I was suddenly aware that there was some one behind me. I managed to move around enough to see the college student from Texas that I hired as a sitter for Toby. She had been beaten badly and was really suffering. Suffering from the beating and from the fact that she was unable to protect Toby. She wept and apologized over and over.

"The poor girl was covered in huge bruises, except for her face, so I guess they were going to train her, too. I never saw her again."

Just then, the head Librarian came looking for her employee. However I implanted the thought that Aksana was busy helping patrons. With the shake of her head, the woman left us alone.

"The training was brutal! I was later told that I was the first slave to successfully complete the new training method. My trainer was very proud of his new way of doing things. He had developed new psychotropic drugs that alter the brain, permanently. With the use of the drugs he was able to train me in two weeks where it usually takes at least three to six months to fully train a new slave.

"There were still the beatings to break the spirit of the trainee but because of the altered state of mind it took much less time. He did have an additional 'tool' to use on me though—the safety of my little Toby."

Here she began to sob softly again, "I think that he's dead! Now that this slave finished with her training and her new owner, the man that contracted for the enslavement, now has taken possession of this slave. You see they no longer need Toby. The drugs did indeed alter the mind of this slave.

"The new owner is very displeased with his new slave though. It seems that he was attracted by my happy nature. Now that I am without my sweet, sweet Toby, there is nothing to be happy about. He keeps trying different things to get that happiness back, but all to no avail.

"Last week my owner became so frustrated that I thought he was going to kill me. I think he was trying to scare me but his efforts had the wrong effect. Now my programming prevents me from suicide, so when he threatened to kill me I smiled and said, 'Yes Master! Please! Please kill me!'

"I kept smiling and even reached up and put the muzzle of his pistol to my own forehead. My actions so shocked the man that he didn't even bother to hit me for my insubordination. He just left the room, looking very sad."

"Surely you have no proof that your son is dead. These types of people are very pragmatic. I would think that a healthy young child would be worth thousands in the adoption Black Market," I interrupted.

Aksana furrowed her brows trying to get her head around this new concept. She smiled for the briefest instant, only to return to her depression.

"Then he is as good as dead, to me! There is no hope of my ever getting him back," she said as she slumped back in her seat.

After a short silence she continued her story, "Since that time he has not taken me, in fact he has hardly anything to do with me. He just sent me back to work here with instructions to look for more recruits. And so here I am, on my first day back, a Judas goat to betray other poor girls."

Aksana was sitting beside me but facing the front desk. Suddenly she went very pale, and reached for the mouse, quickly flipping through several screens on the computer.

" ... and this screen shows you the..." she said.

"What are you doing? I didn't send you here to work with the geriatric set," said a gruff voice.

There was a pause as I looked the obviously wealthy man up and down while sending 'fear' thoughts into his head.

Then to our surprise Aksana said in a somewhat rebellious tone of voice, "You are Master and I know you will beat me, but my job is to help library patrons and the Mistress of this place will fire me if I don't help people!"

The man, filled with a pathological rage, started to move threateningly toward Aksana, until I stopped him. Using my telekinetic powers I rooted him to the floor and I then slowly closed off his windpipe. I delighted at the confusion that filled his face. His confusion progressed to panic as his attempts to breathe became ever more difficult.

"How does it feel to be controlled by someone else you bastard? Do you like not having free will? Hmm?" I asked softly with a malevolent smile.

Locking the man where he stood, I turned to Aksana and asked if there was a private room we could use?

"Yes, should I go for the key?"

"If you would, please."

"Yes, Sir."

As she ran off I returned my attention to the foul beast standing before me. He was the image of suffering. His mouth was opened in a silent scream of pain and panic. He had by now dug furrows in his throat with his fingernails in a vain attempt to release the constriction around his neck.

"You don't like the feeling of helplessness, do you?"

Gone was the arrogance. In his eyes was the pleading look of a beaten dog.

"I could kill you where you stand but I want information. If I let you breath will you peaceably comply with my requests?" I asked telepathically.

He nodded and I released the straggle hold. The fool immediately started to run away. This time I squeezed his heart.

I said inside his head, "If you take another step, I will make you an invalid for the rest of your life!"

He stopped, turned and glared at me with anger commingled with fear. The chest pain was very evident on his face as he held both hands to his heart.

Aksana returned with a tagged key in her hand. She stopped half way between us and studied each of us with keenness.

"Are you causing Master this pain?"

"Yes."

"GOOD!" she said with a bright but nasty smile.

She walked up to her Master and said, "Look, Master, I'm smiling. Isn't this what you wanted?" Nodding toward me, "I think that I have a new and more powerful Master, now. Remember that part of the programming you foolishly insisted on? Remember the part that makes me loyal to the most powerful owner? Well, it looks as if this man is much more powerful than you ever will be! He has real power, not just wealth. Maybe he will make YOU his slave, too."

The malice oozed from this once happy pleasant young woman. Her statement gave me a start, though. Could it, would it be possible? Was I her new Master? Still I kept quiet as I watched this tableau unfold.

Turning on her heel Aksana said, "The small conference room is on the second floor, follow me please."

I observed a subtle change in the demeanor of Aksana as the three of us moved toward the conference room. I dipped into her mind and found hope there. But now it was time to deal with her Master, and I needed all of my abilities focused on that problem.

I chose a chair at the head of the table and then moved the man opposite me. Aksana knelt beside and slightly in back of my seat. Even though he was in considerable pain, her Master chastised her for not kneeling by him.

I decided to let the scenario play out between them before I continued with my interrogation.

Aksana gave him a bright hard smile and said, "You are weak! You have lost me to this much stronger Master. I hope that he deals with you as you have dealt with me and my child, you evil man."

At the last comment her voice broke and tears flowed once more.

I stood again and went to the young woman. I rested my hand on her shoulder and said softly, "You need not ever kneel before me woman. Now come and stand beside me as we question this monster."

"Yes, Master," she said as she rose and stood next to me with bowed head.

I hooked my finger under her chin and lifted gently. "You need not bow your head either, ok?"

She nodded and looked up. I then retuned to my seat as Aksana fluidly moved with me to stand at my side with her hand on my shoulder.

As I brought my attention back to the slaver I said, "I don't normally develop an instant hate for people but you are the exception. I do believe that you have realized by now that I have gifts, gifts that will allow me to torture or kill you with untraceable impunity. Is this true, or do you need more proof?"

The man's eyes grew wider with fear and he shook his head from side to side vigorously.

"Good, then. Now, if I release the ... ah ... hold that I have on you, will you behave?"

He indicated that he would ... but as soon as I let the pressure off of his heart he made for the door. This time I gave his heart a quick but much harder squeeze. He gasped, moaned, and fell to the floor. He was unconscious from the severe pain.

"That didn't go so well, did it? Did you know that this guy was so stupid?"

"He is very wealthy and arrogant. It is beyond his ken that anyone else could have power over him, Master."

"Ok! We need to set some ground rules, here. I'm not to be called 'Master'. My name is John, got it?" I said, with just a touch of impatience.

"Yes, Mas ... ah ... John." said Aksana weakly with a blush.

"Good. And no more kneeling and all of whatever else are supposed to be the proper behaviors of a slave."

"Yes, John."

"Now, you live with this animal don't you?"

"Yes, John."

"Are there others there?"

"Yes, two other slaves as I am, but they are older. They have been with him for a long time. One is the cook and the other one does the housekeeping. He does use them too, though, especially now that he has stopped using me."

"Do you think that they are loyal to him, I mean, will they give us trouble?"

"I don't really know. The cook has travel posters on her walls, and she is always talking about Europe."

"And the other?"

"I just don't know, for sure. She is very devoted to him, though, and she has taken a very distinct dislike of me."

"I'll bet she was his alpha 'til you came along."

"Yes, I believe so."

"Well, I guess that we should adjourn this meeting and re-convene at his place. Let's get this dirt-bag up and out of here."

"Yes, John, as you wish; but what about my job? My supervisor will be upset."